Cubs vs. Phillies: Lester vs. Nola (Game 48)

The Cubs hitched their wagon to a pair of big homeruns for last night's 8-4 win. Today they send Jon Lester to the hill to lock down a series victory. Lester was thoroughly out-pitched by Strasburg on Saturday when I had the privilege of attending a fairly uneventful Cubs' loss in DC. He got knocked around for 10 hits and 5 runs in 4.1 innings, easily his worst start of the season. As worst starts go, it's the least bad worst start of any Cubs' starter! Hence, he has maintained an ERA just over 2. Current Phillies have seen him for 162 ABs and earned an OPS of .738 during that time. Sean Rodriguez has 55 of those ABs, with 12 hits, 3 of which were homeruns. McCutchen is 7-32 with 2 HRs. Harper is 3-10 with 6 strikeouts.

Aaron Nola has been a bit off his game in the first quarter of the season, posting a slightly inflated walk rate and allowing a lot more hard contact than he had in the last couple of years. That said, there's only been one clunker in his last five starts and he struck out 12 in 6 innings against the Rockies last time out. Cubs hitters haven't seen that much of Nola, but Rizzo is 2-6 with 2 HRs and put out a light in that hideous beer sign last night to tie Javy at 12. Bryant is 2-7 with 5 strikeouts and recent leadoff man, Schwarber, is 2-8 with 4 strikeouts.

Enjoy surreptitiously following this day game on the job, nine-to-fivers!

Recent comments

A's have decided to not be horrible and to pay their minor leaguers through the end of the season (august)

"“I changed my mind after spending a lot of time talking to our team,” A's owner John Fisher told the Chronicle. “I concluded I’d made a mistake. I’ve listened to our fans and others, and there is no question that this is the right thing to do. We clearly got this decision wrong. These players represent our future and we will immediately begin paying our minor-league players. I take responsibility and I’m making it right.""

I'm in. What more do we need, really. A beer. A game or two. The 162 game season can wait until next year (I hope). Have fun with a micro-mini season. Let the powers fight over the labor agreements. They can finish by next spring, right?

IN BRIEF (Tribune, from their mini-sports section): In a letter, MLB rejects players’ plan for 114 gamesNews servicesMajor League Baseball rejected the players’ proposal for a 114-game schedule in the pandemic-delayed season with no additional salary cuts, telling the union that teams have no reason to think 82 games is possible and now will discuss even fewer.Players made their proposal Sunday, five days after management’s initial economic plan.

I agree. Laura is the real deal. I think she was the major influence that showed Tom R. and Crane Kenney how to show a "human side" and deal realistically and in a non-threatening way, with the local Chicago politicians. Kenney was clearly clueless in his initial attempts regarding the neighborhood, the Rooftop owners, and the Wrigley Field rebuild.